Shrouded Dreams
by kikikimamama
Summary: What could happen if you befriended the Grim Reaper? Lizzie and Gordo are about to find out... URGENT AUTHORS NOTE! MUST READ!
1. Default Chapter

Shrouded Dreams  
  
  
  
Welcome to my newest story, Shrouded Dreams. What would happen if you were friends  
  
with Death? And I mean if you were actually friends with the Grim Reaper? I started toying with  
  
this idea about two weeks ago, and it's been buzzing in my head like an annoying fly. I finally  
  
decided to actually post it.  
  
The basic idea of this plot is this: Lizzie and Gordo, through a series of incidents, befriend  
  
the Grim Reaper. They think they are having nervous breakdowns from their college studies, but  
  
they soon discover that it might be a little different to have Death for a friend. Maybe even a little  
  
fun. My apologies if this story might be little strange, but hey, it deals with Death being a good  
  
friend.  
  
And no, this is not a Lizzie McGuire version of the show, Grim and Evil, on Cartoon  
  
Network. This is purely just fun.  
  
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Fate tends to weave itself into complex patterns that only seem to make sense to some  
  
ethereal figures on the other side. Sometimes only one event is needed to create such panic and  
  
pandemonium that could split mountains and fell the sky. Such is the nature of the unknown. For  
  
instance, take Death. A lone figure that mucks through all of the souls of the dead and sends them on  
  
their way. And yet there are still some who escape his bony clutches. But never has Death shown  
  
itself in human form and befriended a mere mortal. Until now. So settle in and listen to the tale of  
  
how two mortals cross the path of Death and yet find an adventure that's out of this world.(Couldn't  
  
resist saying that.)  
  
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"Gordo, that was a great dinner." said Lizzie McGuire.  
  
"And now we head back to my apartment and spend the rest of the night in bliss." David  
  
"Gordo" Gordon looked down at the gas gauge.  
  
"Just as soon as we get gas."  
  
He pulled into a local gas station and looked around. It seemed normal, though the drunk  
  
standing outside gave him slight chills. He pulled up to a pump and began filling his Nissan Xterra  
  
up. Soon it was filled and he was walking towards the store to pay, when all of a sudden, the  
  
drunkard stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"I wouldn't go in there if I was you. You'll regret it."  
  
"But I have to go in to pay for my gas."  
  
"Trust me, in about 15 seconds there won't be anyone to take your money, except that  
  
robber with the .50 Magnum. And he'll take your life to go with it. 10 seconds."  
  
The drunk looked at his watch as if he knew what was going to happen when. Suddenly,  
  
right as Gordo was about to say something, gunshots ripped through the air. He looked inside and  
  
saw the clerk crumple to the floor, a pool of blood bubbling in his chest. Gordo was in shock. He  
  
had seen death in the movies, but he never imagined it to be that bad in the real world. He was just  
  
staring at the now twitching body of the clerk when two strong hands grabbed him by the lapels, and  
  
threw him to the side. When he hit the pavement, he looked up to see the thief running out the store  
  
and hopping into an old beater before speeding away. He looked at the drunk, and was surprised to  
  
see that he was standing like he was sober. But he didn't have time to ponder these thoughts. He got  
  
up and ran towards his car, thinking to hell with paying, time to go.  
  
Lizzie was scared out of her mind when he got back in, screaming in demand to know what's  
  
going on, but she was getting nowhere fast. Gordo just pulled out of the gas station as fast as he  
  
could and didn't stop until he reached a rest stop 5 miles down the road. By then Lizzie's voice was  
  
sore from all the screaming she had been doing. She was scared of what might happen and what had  
  
just transpired.  
  
"David Gordon, I swear, If you don't answer me, I'll..."  
  
"Someone was just killed. Shot."  
  
"Are you sure Gordo?"  
  
"Positive. I saw the guy fall. I didn't get a good look at the killer, though."  
  
Lizzie was frightened real bad. But it didn't help to see a haggard man staring at her from  
  
behind the car.  
  
"Gordo, there's someone behind the car."  
  
He got out and looked behind to see the drunk man from the station.  
  
"What the..."  
  
"Your very lucky you know. You almost became part of the pattern before your time. And I  
  
would have been in very deep trouble if that happened."  
  
"Pattern?"  
  
Yes. The pattern of Death. Had you gone in there, you would have been shot. And Lizzie  
  
too."  
  
"Who the hell are you and what do you want with us?"  
  
"My apologies. In my haste to assure myself that you two were safe, I have forgotten to  
  
introduce myself. I go by many names, the Shadow Collector, Darkman, the Boatman, Grim  
  
Reaper. I prefer Death myself."  
  
"Your Death."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You can't be, You don't have the robe or the scythe or any of that stuff."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot I was masquerading as a mortal. Excuse me."  
  
He pulled out a gun, pointed it at his head, and pulled the trigger, spraying his brains  
  
everywhere. But where the drunk man once stood, there was someone else, now holding the gun. He  
  
was wearing a black cloak with the hood down. However it was not the cloak most would assume  
  
the Grim Reaper would wear. It was longer, and buttoned only at the waist, making it flap in the  
  
slight breeze. He was also fitted with some kind of formal wearing that was all black but didn't seem  
  
like any kind of clothing in it's category. His boots reached up to his knees, and his pants hung  
  
slightly over the top. He also wore leather gloves, with a strange symbol on the back of the hand. At  
  
his side was three swords. Gordo stood in awe at the new person, amazed that anyone could look  
  
like that.  
  
The man simply put the gun away and said "So where do I begin?"  
  
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I hope you enjoy this. I think it has a lot of potential as a story. All of the possibilities. Till  
  
next time... kikiki... mamama... kikiki... mamama... 


	2. What the hell

Shrouded Dreams  
  
Yet again, my apologies for taking my sweet time. I have horrible fits of laziness. This will be my  
  
last entry for any story for about a month. Sorry.  
  
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Gordo woke from his drowsy haze and looked at his surroundings. He was in bed, back  
  
home. He looked down to see Lizzie lying next to him, serenely asleep. He carefully got out of the  
  
bed, careful not to wake her, and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He tried to remember last  
  
nights events. All he could remember was everything except what happened after the robbery. He  
  
thought he had spoken with a drunk man who claimed he was death, but that didn't make any sense.  
  
He assumed that he and Lizzie simply returned home and, being so scared of what had just  
  
happened, simply passed out on the bed. They were, after all, still wearing the clothes from last  
  
night. He turned off the shower, letting the beads of water fall off his body while he stood and  
  
thought a little more.  
  
After he dried himself off, he left the bathroom and went into the kitchen for a bite too eat.  
  
But that's not what he found.  
  
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"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
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"Jeez, kid! Scream any louder and you would have burst ear drums!" Sitting there at the  
  
table, was the man from last night. The one who claimed he was the Grim Reaper. He was dressed  
  
differently though. This time he was wearing simple black jeans, boots with small chains at the heel,  
  
a black, short sleeve, button shirt, an Element hat, and a black trench coat in his arms, and he was  
  
still wearing the gloves from last night. His eyes were covered with orange tint sunglass (A/N the  
  
ones I'm wearing now.) and he was polishing a Magnum. His three swords lay at his side on the  
  
table.  
  
"About damn time you woke up. I've been waiting for you two dunderheads to wake up."  
  
He spoke as if he was an old friend visiting. Which he was not.  
  
"Who the hell are you?!"  
  
"What, you don't remember last night? When I explained to you the situation?"  
  
Gordo struggled to remember the events of last night. And they came back to him in a  
  
flurry...  
  
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Flashback...  
  
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"How did you do that?" Gordo was visibly shaken by what had just happened. One second  
  
the drunk was standing there, all fine and dandy, the next, he was gunned down by a man wearing a  
  
strange cloak.  
  
"Simple tactic for me. Dress as a human, then when I don't need the body, dispose of it.  
  
Don't worry, I made the body from raw material back home. It was no one who was really alive.  
  
Sort of like a Halloween costume."  
  
Gordo couldn't believe this. This all had to be a dream.  
  
"Now do you mind telling me just what the hell you were doing trying to mess up my  
  
pattern?" For an ethereal being, he was sure pissed like a mortal.  
  
"Look, I don't know what your talking about. I just know that I want to go home, and be  
  
with my fiancé." (A/N Yep, they're engaged.)  
  
"Oh, I realize that. But you have to tell me why it was you two that they chose to be the  
  
decisive beings of the future. Damn Fates."  
  
"What?"  
  
The Grim Reaper looked at the mortal and realized that the poor souls had no clue about  
  
what was going to happen.  
  
"You really don't know? Damn, I thought that the Fates would have granted you two a  
  
vision or something like that."  
  
"The Fates?"  
  
"You know your Greek mythology, right?"  
  
Gordo and Lizzie, who had been listening silently, both nodded.  
  
"Well, do you remember who the Fates were?"  
  
"Not too well."  
  
"Well, let me enlighten you. The Fates were three sisters in Greek mythology. Clotho,  
  
Lachesis, and Atropus. They sang in unison with the sirens, supposedly. I for one think they lied  
  
about that. Lachesis sang of things that were, Clotho of those that are, and Atropus sang of the things  
  
that will be. Past, present, and future. Atropus was the eldest and shortest of the three. Clotho is the  
  
spinner, so to speak, and Lachesis is the apportioner of lots. They work together alongside me to  
  
decide the fate of mankind. Does that help you to understand?"  
  
Two nods.  
  
"Good. Now about 23 years ago, the Fates informed me that a great disaster was coming.  
  
And that the only way to stop it, was to find the chosen mortals, who, using the love they have for  
  
each other, could stop it from happening. They ordered me to find the chosen mortals and brief them  
  
on this whole thing. I've been looking for 23 years and didn't find one person, that fit the  
  
descriptions given to me by the fates. I was beginning to worry that I was on a wild goose chase. But  
  
then I found you two. When I threw you to the ground, I could see something flash before my eyes.  
  
At first, I didn't know what it was, but now I'm certain it was the future."  
  
"What, we're the chosen ones?"  
  
"You have to be, otherwise I wouldn't have followed you out here."  
  
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Everything after that was a little fuzzy to Gordo, but he figured that Death had taken them  
  
back home.  
  
The man stood up, holstered his gun, tied his swords to his side, and walked in front of  
  
Gordo.  
  
"Do you believe me?"  
  
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I am twisted. But hey, I know my Greek mythology. This story will draw off of all the  
  
stories I have ever heard from Greek legends. Saying that, here's a quote from The Odyssey by  
  
Homer:  
  
"Nor shall he meanwhile suffer any evil or harm, until he sets foot upon his own land; but  
  
thereafter he shall suffer whatever Fate and the dread spinners spun with their thread for him at his  
  
birth, when his mother bore him." (Alcinous on Odysseus.)  
  
Well, later. Kikiki... mamama... kikiki... mamama... 


	3. the other side

Shrouded Dreams  
  
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!! Did you think that I would leave you all  
  
hanging?  
  
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Death looked at the boy the fates had said was one of the chosen two. He still didn't believe  
  
it. But if they really were the ones he was looking for, then he had no choice in the matter.  
  
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"So what exactly is the big disaster?" said the girl. She had woken up at the boy's screaming  
  
and had to be calmed down before he could continue.  
  
"You all know that every heart has a small portion of evil in it, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, 23 years ago, a dispute started between some powerful forces in the ethereal plane.  
  
Basically, someone had died that was so evil, he scared Satan. Heaven didn't want him, neither did  
  
Hell. So I got stuck with him. I had him chained to a wall in the deepest pit in the underworld, just  
  
past the river Styx. Now here's where it gets bad. An all out free-for-all started on what should be  
  
done with him. Hell suggested that Satan devour him, as per regulation. Heaven suggested  
  
retribution, redemption, forgiveness. I suggested we have Cerberus rip him to pieces, and the Fates  
  
thought it wise to just keep him chained until Judgement Day. Naturally, this started a big hoopla,  
  
and while we were so busy arguing, the soul escaped somehow. So now he roams the earth, trying to  
  
convert people to his order. If he succeeds, he'll become a god and do something that will destroy  
  
everything."  
  
"What?" asked them both.  
  
"He'll have proved everyone wrong. He was originally trying to become a God in the first  
  
place, but we intervened, and told him that it was impossible. If he pulls it off, we are wrong, and  
  
that means that everything we ever did was all for naught. This means, in essence, we'll have no  
  
control, and the world will crumble in on itself. You see, keeping this world functioning is like  
  
running a machine. It's very precise. If one cog on a machine fails, the entire thing fails. If there's  
  
one slip-up in making the world turn, it collapses. And proving that God, Satan, the Fates, and  
  
Death are wrong, unhinges it all."  
  
Somehow, they must have understood, or they were simply just looking like they  
  
understood.  
  
"In any case, you two have to come with me for awhile."  
  
"Where?" asked the boy.  
  
"To the other side. Specifically, the Underworld. There, you can speak with the fates, and  
  
learn about what's been going on in greater detail, while I take care of some business."  
  
"No way. I am not going to the Underworld, not for anything!" said the boy.  
  
Deaths eyes suddenly became solid black, as if they were not there at all. His face became  
  
gaunt and pale, and when he spoke, he spoke with a hollow voice.  
  
"You will follow me to the depths of Hell if I tell you to."  
  
A portal opened directly behind him. A river could be seen just beyond.  
  
"Now go."  
  
Suddenly, Lizzie and Gordo were sucked in...  
  
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When their eyes had refocused, they saw a great plain spread out before them, with a river to  
  
their right. They looked at the river and saw a dock. Death was on the dock, preparing a boat. They  
  
walked to him.  
  
"Are we dead?" asked Gordo.  
  
"No. I just transported you to the other side. You are not dead. But your not alive either."  
  
"Not alive?"  
  
"Right. Your in a sort of stasis. Coma, if you will. And if your wondering about how long  
  
you will be gone, don't be."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because time works differently here than it does there. One year here, is about 5 seconds  
  
there."  
  
"So where are we going?"  
  
"To my office. I hope to find some information from my eyes and ears, and to meet with the  
  
fates. And to get there, we have to go by boat."  
  
"And I guess this is the river Styx?"  
  
"No. It's a minor river that leads to Styx. But, yeah, the idea is the same. Take Styx to the  
  
building."  
  
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As they floated down the river, questions went through the two lovers heads. Questions that  
  
only Gordo was brave enough to ask.  
  
"So how is this guy going to become a God?"  
  
"Evil resides in every heart. From a small portion, to over half. This man is going to try and  
  
gather all of the evil in the hearts of his followers, absorb it, and use the new power to dethrone  
  
God."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"Not quite. Once he becomes God, he'll spread his evil throughout the universe, changing  
  
everyone into the evil they possess. He'll eventually become strong enough to absorb evil just by  
  
coming within range of it. Basically, he'll start an apocalypse. Or begin an age of darkness that will  
  
never end."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Yeah, that's what I said."  
  
"And the Fates believe that we can stop him?"  
  
"No, they believe you two can stop him. I'm just training you, prepping you. You have to  
  
fight him yourselves."  
  
"Oh."  
  
The ride passed in silence for awhile longer before Gordo gathered enough courage to ask  
  
the one question he had been thinking.  
  
"Death, since you know when everyone dies, when is it our turn?  
  
He turned and looked at the couple, with a strange analyzing look in his eyes.  
  
"No one knows the time they cross the bridge, save for Death."  
  
Though cryptic, the answer was obvious: Your not allowed to know.  
  
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Sometime passed when they soon rounded a bend. The landscape had been the same for  
  
awhile, but once they turned, it changed. Instead of great fields, a giant Japanese castle loomed in  
  
the distance.  
  
"So your Japanese?" asked Gordo.  
  
"No. When I was alive, I lived in Japan and studied their culture and history. I really liked  
  
their castles, so when it was my turn to be Death, I turned the castle into this."  
  
"Your turn?"  
  
"Yeah. You see, Death is like a position as well as person. I'm the 151st Death. Each Death  
  
can make the castle look like whatever they want. They also can do a lot of other stuff. The guy  
  
before me, was a clown in his life, so his castle was a fun house. Literally. He had all sorts of weird  
  
shit."  
  
"So the position is passed on from spirit to spirit?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I don't really know. When I died, the fates asked me wether I wanted it or not, and as I  
  
wasn't thinking clearly, I accepted. I guess it's just at their decision."  
  
They pulled up to a dock at the castle and got out, only to pelted by a little boy with burn  
  
marks on his face. He was about 10 years old.  
  
"Your back!!! I missed you so much, Dave!!!"  
  
Death/Dave was struggling to get the boy off of his neck so as to prevent from snapping it.  
  
"I missed you too, Jack. Now get off before you break my neck! You know how hard it is to  
  
get it back in place!"  
  
The boy obliged.  
  
"So what did I miss while I was gone?"  
  
"Nothing much, Dave. Rodney got his hand stuck in the copier. It's all inky. And Jeff got bit  
  
by Cerberus."  
  
"He was trying to feed him wasn't he?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Oh, and Rachel want's to talk to you about getting a new sound system for the  
  
meeting room."  
  
"What? I told her I was going to order one when I got back. Why is she asking?"  
  
Jack just shrugged. He suddenly noticed Gordo and Lizzie for the first time. He pulled Dave  
  
down to his mouth.  
  
"Who are they?" he whispered.  
  
"Friends of mine." Suddenly, creepy old piano music started playing from somewhere in the  
  
castle. As it continued, Dave groaned and mumbled something inaudible. It was beautiful until it hit  
  
a sour note.  
  
"C FLAT YOU JACKASS!!!"  
  
"THANK YOU!!!" yelled someone in the building.  
  
"Marcus is still learning that song?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Dave turned toward Lizzie and Gordo. "Marcus is a piano player and my assistant. He's  
  
been playing that song for about two months now."  
  
They nodded. This was all too weird for them, but they continued into the building with  
  
Dave/Death.  
  
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So how was it? Did it make you smile a little? Did it make you cringe and go "What's  
  
wrong with him?" Or did it make you want more? Well, there is more coming! So stay tuned! Later  
  
days... kikiki... mamama... kikiki... mamama... 


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